Santorum predicts Obamacare will ration care: “Santorum said that President Barack Obama’s health overhaul is rationing care, adding long wait times and blocking Medicare patients from seeing their doctors. The health law includes a panel that cuts payments to doctors and hospitals. Santorum said that those cuts are forcing doctors to drop Medicare patients and to take more patients with private insurance or who can pay for care themselves.” [WKMG]
Little research on overuse of healthcare: “Despite concerns about the high cost and inefficiency associated with the overuse of healthcare, research is limited and often addresses only a few medical interventions, according to an article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.” [Modern Healthcare]
Abortion foes attempt to reignite issue: “Abortion foes are planning an election-year strategy aimed at forcing President Obama and congressional Democrats to take a potentially damaging stand on the issue.” [The Hill]
Franks introduces fetal pain bill: “A Republican congressman from Arizona has introduced a bill that would ban abortions of fetuses 20 weeks or older in the District of Columbia. The bill from Rep. Trent Franks cites research indicating that fetuses can feel pain starting at 20 weeks.” [AP]
Massachusetts governor touts payment reform in State of State address: Gov. Deval Patrick (D) “renewed a pitch for a change in the way medical care is paid that he proposed last year. Those changes would replace the current system of paying fees for specific services and instead pay doctors to coordinate patient care and be compensated on a per capita basis for providing overall quality care. That proposal is now before the Legislature.” [Telegram]
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